1999 AVCA Division III National Player of the Year

ABBIE BROWN OF CENTRAL COLLEGE NAMED1999 AVCA DIVISION III PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Colorado Springs, Colo. - The American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) is pleased to announce that Central College's Abbie Brown has been selected as the 1999 AVCA National Player of the Year for NCAA Division III for the second consecutive year.

Brown, a three-time AVCA First-Team All-American, has led Central (39-0) back to the NCAA tournament for the fifth consecutive year. The defending champion Dutch will take on host school Juniata College (35-4), ranked No. 4 in the AVCA Division III Coaches Top 20 poll in a semifinal match at Memorial Gymnasium in Huntingdon, Pa., Dec. 4 at 8:00 p.m. In the other semifinal beginning at 5 p.m., No. 3 Trinity University (Texas) (37-2) will meet No.5 Muskingum College (Ohio) (39-3).

Brown, who played both middle hitter and outside hitter positions this year, has helped the top-ranked Dutch compile a 57-match winning streak, the second-longest streak in NCAA history at any level and just two shy of the record of 59 straight matches set by Washington (Mo.) University (Nov. 9, 1991-Sept. 18, 1993). Central has compiled a 112-6 record during Brown's three seasons and has reached the national semifinals each year, finishing third in 1997 before winning the crown last year.

Thus far in 1999, Brown has accumulated 518 kills, 371 digs and 95 blocks, ranking nationally in kills with 4.6 per game and in hitting percentage at .379. She also leads the team in service aces with 53 (0.5 per game).

Brown holds school records for most kills in a match (34), season (631) and career (1,706) and in 1998 set an NCAA Division III record for most kills in a three-game match (34). Brown transferred to Central after one year at Kansas State, where she compiled 374 kills while helping the Wildcats gain a Division I playoff berth in 1996. Combined with her Central totals, Brown has compiled 2,080 collegiate career kills, which would rank her fifth on the all-time Division III list.

Recently named Iowa Conference MVP for a record third time, Brown led the conference in kills and service aces as Central won its fourth consecutive league title and its fourth post-season conference tournament. She was named the league's player of the week three times this season.

Brown was named Sports Imports/AVCA Division III Player of the Week twice this season and five times in her career. She was honored on Oct. 18 after being named MVP of the Hope College (Mich.) Invitational, where she averaged 4.85 kills and 4.0 digs per game with a .436 hitting percentage as Central defeated sixth-ranked Mount St. Joseph (Ohio), Hope, eighth-ranked Muskingum (Ohio) and 16th-ranked Calvin College (Mich.). She was honored again Nov. 15 after the Dutch swept Thomas More (Ky.) and eighth-ranked Washington (Mo.) in the Division III Central Region tourney. She averaged 6.3 kills per game and 2.6 digs with a .376 hitting percentage in the two matches. Then in Central's sweep of second-ranked UC San Diego in a quarterfinal match Nov. 20, Brown hit an impressive .633 with 19 kills, seven digs, four blocks and no attack errors.

Brown was named to the all-tournament team in every tourney Central entered in the past three years. This season she was honored at invitationals at Central, Wisconsin-Oshkosh, Washington (Mo.), Hope (Mich.) and St. Benedict (Minn.), earning MVP honors at Hope and St. Benedict.

A 6-0 senior from Eldora, Iowa, Brown was the 1995 Iowa High School Player of the Year while leading Eldora-New Providence High School to a state title. The two-time Central co-captain is also a two-time all-Iowa Conference selection in women's basketball.

The formal presentation of the award to the 1999 AVCA National Players of the Year will be made Dec. 17, 1999, in Honolulu, Hawai'I, at the AVCA Player of the Year/All-America banquet, beginning at 9:00 a.m. The banquet, which will take place at the Hawaiian Regent at Waikiki Beach, is held in conjunction with the 1999 AVCA National Convention and NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Championship.